Loaches Online Forum

Hello,

I've recently added two pieces of driftwood to my 95g tank so that the clowns and yoyos there have more hiding spots. They have spent most of the since swimming around, digging and hiding in the driftwood.

I wasn't sure the type of driftwood I got as it was an old piece I had bought a while back. I was planning on getting some bigger pieces to add so as to create a "cave" effect and noticed from this Sydney aquarium that there were other premium types of Driftwood:

- Dreamwood http://www.aquariumsuppliesaustralia.co ... ail&p=3296

- Mopani http://www.aquariumsuppliesaustralia.co ... ail&p=3064

It says that "Dreamwood is regarded as one of the most sought-after driftwoods in the world." Is this the case? Apparently Mopani driftwood are really good too. I was just wondering how these types of Driftwood are any different to the normal ones sold in LFS?

Has anyone used these types of Driftwood for their tanks?

Thanks

Never heard of Dreamwood, sounds like an advertiser's claim, not a statement of fact.

I just get tree prunings from the local area, free...

Diana wrote:Never heard of Dreamwood, sounds like an advertiser's claim, not a statement of fact.

I just get tree prunings from the local area, free...

Thanks Diana, I was thinking the same. According to this source, http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/p ... atid=13985 it's not too different to normal driftwood.

With tree prunings, it's always hard to find it in the shape that you want (so that it creates hiding spots for the loaches).

Well, I had a load of driftwood from a decade or so ago that had been harvested in AL or GA (can't remember now which) and a couple of months ago I decided I needed more. Went thru the same thing you are going thru, and then starsplitter it was I think said look in the reptile section of the pet stores... there you will find mopani, which I have decided is THE BEST. In fact, everytime I go in a petstore, I check out their mopani and if I see a piece I like, I get it! I like the small pieces, because you can sort of build structures in your tank just by stacking them up this way or that. And everytime I do a water change, the landscape changes a bit! I like that alot. I also like the tannins, so I just boil the wood for about an hour- that gets rid of the heavy load and you just get a nice light tinting in your water. The stuff sinks right off, it is often two-toned in color and always interestingly shaped. The possibilities are endless! For me, mopani is the best.

Some reptile products include medications that may help the reptiles, but are not good for fish. Read labels carefully.

The brand name I look for is Zoo Med. Petsmart carries it and although it's labeled as safe for terrariums or aquariums, it's only stocked in the reptile section. They do sandblast it, but it's not treated with anything. Like I said though, a boil or soak of some duration is a good idea as it comes with all the tannins intact!

I agree that Mopani is the best also. I find it doesn't break down as fast as most other driftwoods. Easy to find some really nice shapes and the two tone effect looks pretty cool too!

Tammy

Malaysian Driftwood is the most natural for any loach themed tank. It comes from the rain forests of Malaysia and grows in acidic peat soils.

Whereas, Mopani driftwood doesn't come from the rain forests. It comes from the northern parts of southern Africa and grows in alkaline lime soils. Nothing wrong with it though. It is probably the most beautiful kind of driftwood you can get.

My Clowns like hiding under my Mopani.

greenbaron wrote:Well, I had a load of driftwood from a decade or so ago that had been harvested in AL or GA (can't remember now which) and a couple of months ago I decided I needed more. Went thru the same thing you are going thru, and then starsplitter it was I think said look in the reptile section of the pet stores... there you will find mopani, which I have decided is THE BEST. In fact, everytime I go in a petstore, I check out their mopani and if I see a piece I like, I get it! I like the small pieces, because you can sort of build structures in your tank just by stacking them up this way or that. And everytime I do a water change, the landscape changes a bit! I like that alot. I also like the tannins, so I just boil the wood for about an hour- that gets rid of the heavy load and you just get a nice light tinting in your water. The stuff sinks right off, it is often two-toned in color and always interestingly shaped. The possibilities are endless! For me, mopani is the best.

Thanks for the info greenbaron. I will check out the Mopani for myself when I visit the LFS this weekend. Are they all roughly the same shape or vary significantly? From the ones I've seen online so far, they are all shaped VERY differently to the traditional malaysian driftwood.

I'm yet to see any photos of the Mopani 'in' an aquarium yet so can't tell how good it looks, but what did you mean by your landscape changes after a water change? Do you mean when you rearrange your Mopani?

I'm assuming you keep loaches - do they like the Mopani more than your other driftwood?

Also, are the tannins that come from the driftwood harmful to the fish?

Diana wrote:Some reptile products include medications that may help the reptiles, but are not good for fish. Read labels carefully.

I'll be going to an aquarium (not pet store) for the Mopani so it should be safe for the fish, I'll triple check with the LFS before putting it in the tank.

chefkeith wrote:Malaysian Driftwood is the most natural for any loach themed tank. It comes from the rain forests of Malaysia and grows in acidic peat soils.

Whereas, Mopani driftwood doesn't come from the rain forests. It comes from the northern parts of southern Africa and grows in alkaline lime soils. Nothing wrong with it though. It is probably the most beautiful kind of driftwood you can get.

Hi chefkeith, would the mopani cause any flow on effects to the tank water that could potentially cause discomfort to the loaches? Or are they OK?

Adding anything to the tank that is larger enough to stick up into the waterflow can alter that water flow. The more important issue is large rocks that cover the substrate, though, reducing the water movement through the substrate, possibly leading to anaerobic areas.

The tannins from wood of any sort are not harmful to the fish that are native to such waters. In fact the organic acids are beneficial to these fish. In general fish from rain forest rivers are accustomed to these conditions. Fish from more open rivers and lakes (Rift Lake fish, for example) are not going to do so well with the Tannic acid.

ey wrote: Thanks for the info greenbaron. I will check out the Mopani for myself when I visit the LFS this weekend. Are they all roughly the same shape or vary significantly? From the ones I've seen online so far, they are all shaped VERY differently to the traditional malaysian driftwood.

I'm yet to see any photos of the Mopani 'in' an aquarium yet so can't tell how good it looks, but what did you mean by your landscape changes after a water change? Do you mean when you rearrange your Mopani?

I'm assuming you keep loaches - do they like the Mopani more than your other driftwood?

Also, are the tannins that come from the driftwood harmful to the fish?

I took a pic recently for another post, not very good, but there's mopani in there! Every piece that has a plant or plants on it is mopani. The post is titled Otocinclus in a clown tank http://forums.loaches.com/viewtopic.php ... 4&start=15
Yes, it comes in lots of different shapes and sizes, usually a piece will have both smooth, lighter colored parts and more knarly dark parts. Very cool.
When I do a water change, I move the wood around to vacuum the gravel. I find it difficult to return the pieces to their previous spot, and have come to like the changing landscape every week as a result. I have 3 big clowns, they seem rather fat and happy to me so all I can assume is they like it! Tannins = good Don't know if it's the water change or what, but afterwards they do seem to enjoy exploring their 'new' environ! Mopani is great too because I'm told it doesn't rot, so maybe your pleco's won't be as thrilled, but I think everyone else will be!
Post a pic after you get your wood all set up!

Diana wrote:Adding anything to the tank that is larger enough to stick up into the waterflow can alter that water flow. The more important issue is large rocks that cover the substrate, though, reducing the water movement through the substrate, possibly leading to anaerobic areas.

The tannins from wood of any sort are not harmful to the fish that are native to such waters. In fact the organic acids are beneficial to these fish. In general fish from rain forest rivers are accustomed to these conditions. Fish from more open rivers and lakes (Rift Lake fish, for example) are not going to do so well with the Tannic acid.

Diana, so as long as the driftwood/rocks added to the tank don't stick into the waterflow or covering substrate, then I'm fine? In regards to not covering the substrate with large rocks, I might be wrong here, but I thought I've seen a few members' tanks both here and on other forums where the large rocks/stones are all sitting on the substrate - would this lead to anaerobic issues?

I might pass on the rocks/stones or use only a few if that is the case and get more driftwood instead since they tend not to cover the entire substrate.